The long-preplanned night finally arrives for the two teams from Huntington to make their way to K.C. Along the way, they play a game of leapfrog with their cars.

Aiden and Justin lead the way before Josh and Eddie use the shoulder on the interstate's right side to pass, cutting between the others. Soon after Rey nods, Alex diverts onto the left-hand shoulder, scattering gravel as they jump into the lead and take turns passing the other.

Stuck in the back part of the middle, James and Dakota pull out from their positions from each shoulder, charging for the front. The fun doesn't end there. Dakota's gaining ground to pull a trick of his own. With a quick move with his hand putting his Mazda in neutral, Dakota rips up the emergency brake spinning his wheel completing a 360-degree rotation. Behind a wall of white smoke from his tires, and pops back into third gear to regain his speed after the others loop around him, passing by over seventy miles per hour.

"Dude, that was awesome!" James yells out with no one to listen.

"That was badass!" Alexander mentions to himself.

"What a sick move!" Josh says with excitement.

"Son of a bitch, he's crazy!" Aiden tells himself, shaking his head, not seeing Dakota pull off that stunt in some time.

Once Dakota catches up with the others, they stay locked in place until they pull up into the Kanawha City parking lot. They're noticed right away with everyone coming up to greet the newest visitors arriving with Josh, James, and Justin. Even for Alex, it's the first time he's been to K.C.

"Hey Kenny, Phat Pat, Brandon sup guys?" Josh greets each of them with a bro hug before he introduces the rest of the crew.

"Boys, these are a few good friends from Huntington. Meet Aiden, Dakota, Rey, and Eddie and our newest team member Alex from Indiana."

Everyone exchanges greetings, but the hearty welcome doesn't last long when Phat Pat pulls Josh off to the side to talk.

"Hey, homie gotta minute, I need to holler at you." The large bodybuilder looking man says, waving Josh over close to the exact spot where he met Nikki.

"What's going on, big man?"

It is an uneasy task to breakdown what he's heard over the last few weeks. Phat Pat tries to break it easy to him.

"Look, you know you'll always be my boy and whatnot. I heard from a whisper in the wind that Nikki is seeing some guy that goes to WVU-Charleston. Word on the street here is they engage in threesomes and get fucked up almost every day. I hate telling you this, but it's better than you hear from someone else. She's moved on, homie, and this guy is one of the worst ones to know. Once he gets finished having his fun, he dumps them off to the side like yesterday's trash left in the gutter."

Josh shakes his head, covering up how he feels with the dagger jabbing him in the heart all over again.

"Hey, it's her loss bub, we're here to have fun, you know. Now let's forget this mushy junk and get down to some racing and headbanging fun, you big ass bitch!" Josh turns it around, getting the excitement back in the air.

"Ah yeah, let's kick this party off!" Phat Pat yells, pointing over to Brandon to get his sound system in his Chevy Blazer going.

The fun lasts for over an hour before Aiden and company begin checking out other people's rides, trying to find races to kill some time as cars keep pouring in. When a Honda Del Sol rolls up on Aiden's other side, he finds his first opponent.

"Hey, you with the Del Sol, wanna run it against my CRX?" He calls out, ready to see what's it got.

"Sure, why not, but unless you got cash to throw down, then no dice, chump." The girl driving the car calls out, thinking nothing of the outdated forest green Honda.

"You're on, and I got a hundred bucks saying I can take you!" Aiden says, with his keys jumping into his car.

By the time they stop at the starting line, there's someone ready to flag them down.

"Race is down to the third light, first one there wins; nice, easy, and simple enough. Ready... You girly, are you ready..." He waits for each of them to nod before tossing his hands in the air.

"GO!"

Tires screeching, the night air sends them off. The Del Sol gets an early bumper lead, but Aiden's turbocharged engine doesn't allow it to remain behind. He takes over before the first light and doesn't let up, crushing the other Honda by the time they reach the finish line. Once they return to the heart of the crowd, the money is exchanged as everyone cheers up a storm.

"Good race," the girl says over the noise of the crowd.

"You too, have a good one," Aiden says to her, shoving the money in his pocket.

Back over yonder, Josh sits on the edge of the hood of his car, laughing at some jokes and stories, paying no attention to a Camaro not far off pulling onto the impromptu block party.

Climbing out from Tonie's car Nikki stands by her door to glance over the sea of bodies. She thinks she sees a familiar ride, but it's quickly out of sight thanks to the growing crowd. Not thinking anything of it, she heads over to a spot on the guardrail, already upset by an argument she had with Tonie earlier that night.

"Yeah, walk away, you bitch!" He tells her as she rounds the hood of his car.

It's a battle to keep her emotions in check. She's beyond fed up with his antics of trying to get in her pants as she sits on the guardrail and struggles to keep the tears at bay. She wipes the ones formed in her eyes away to discover a familiar laugh floating in the air.

"Josh!" She shrieks, getting to her feet with a frantic search to get a lock on his location.

Hidden away in the crowd, Josh is still unaware of the fact she's arrived. Nikki is the last person on his mind. He's busy relishing the attention they show him and make him feel like one of them rather than an outsider.

"Hey man, tell us, are you ever going to join any of the cliques up this way? I mean, c'mon, you're getting to be a hell of a driver, and you know your way around a car like a duck in water. What do we have to do to get you to become a Royal Ryder?" Brandon wonders, nudging Josh on the arm.

"Well, I've thought about it, and maybe we can link our two groups up, you know. I haven't gotten the stickers made yet, but my boys and I have our little group. We're calling it the Shadow Wolves Car Club. You know, since we roll at night and you mess with one of us, you gotta deal with the whole pack."

Brandon curls his lips over the corny name for Josh's club name. He feels it would be better to have them as partners than not have them, especially with car competitions coming soon.

"Yeah, once you make a graphic, let me see it, and we'll partner up for real. You've been coming up here for a minute now, and brand association speaks volumes." Brandon mentions feeding Josh's ego.

The fun comes to an end, though, when Nikki finally shoves her way through the people surrounding the visitors. She's behind the Probe, and it's not until James gives out a gasp that it gets Josh's attention.

"Sup bub?"

James points back to Nikki, standing there with her now shoulder-length hair with her glasses missing. It's enough for Josh to twist his body resting on the edge of the fender to lock in an intense stare with her as the mob of spectators watch on.

"Hey..." He lets out, folding his hands in his lap.

"Can we talk?" She asks, unable to break her stare at him in his baggy jeans with a black muscle shirt.

"I have nothing to say, and I'm here to have fun, not start a fight." He says, keeping his voice civil.

"I mean it, I wanna talk, nothing else, please, for old times' sake." She pleads with the audience around them, almost in silence.

"Again, I have nothing left to say other than you were wrong, and I'm here with friends. I'm not here for you anymore; have a good night Nikole."

Turned down, she bows her head, moping away. Pat then points over to Tonie as they sit and watch him pull out a flask chugging it down.

"That's the guy I was telling you about, little homie. He's a real piece of shit. I know she ain't sweet on you nowadays, but don't let her leave with him." Phat Pat expresses his concern once the flask is out in plain view.

Infuriated that Nikki would seemingly destroy her standards, Josh slides from the fender and rushes to meet Nikki over by Tonie's car.

"Hey, hold up, don't get into the car. I'll take you home, okay." He calls out, getting her attention.

"I don't care what all you do with this prick, but he ain't taking you home after he's been drinking."

Tonie overhears Josh's comments and steps up to him, looking down at him being the taller person.

"And what do you think you're going to do about it, little boy? If she wants to leave with me, then that's what's happening. You know, she would rather have a real man like me than a tiny dicked little puke like you." He taunts, poking Josh in the shoulder.

"Hey! I have a question for you, dumbass. You've kissed her, right?" Josh asks with an answer prepared.

"Oh yeah, we've made out a few times," Tonie replies with a dumbfounded expression on his face for such a stupid question.

"How's my dick taste when you kissed her, you clown?"

The crowd watching the exchange gives a collective "OHHHHHHH" before Tonie can respond to the smart-aleck remark.

"Also, don't touch me again unless you wanna end up with a broken finger. I don't give a flying fuck if you two have another threesome planned. Or if you're going to plow Nikki right here in the back seat of this piece of junk, but she is not leaving here with you, she's coming with me."

Nikki gets Josh out of her way in a single push, going over to Tonie, where she confronts him about what Josh mentioned.

"Have you been telling people that we've been sleeping together?" She watches as he shakes his head no before continuing to yell at him.

"Then explain to me how my ex who lives in Huntington seems to think we are when we're not even dating you limp dick two-faced liar!"

"Just shut the hell up and get in the car; we're going back to my place. I need to get lit, and you could use a beer, you whiny little bitch."

That's all it takes for Josh to intervene to keep Nikki from possibly getting hurt.

"I done told you she's not leaving here with you. You want to do something about it. Then I'm right here. Nikole, get in my car and don't get out no matter what."

Tonie goes to act like he's had enough but instead turns shoving Josh on his ass then takes his frustration out on Nikki.

"I said get in the damn car now, you little tramp!" He threatens after he backhands Nikki across the cheek.

"Big mistake, you son of a bitch!" Josh calls out, charging at Tonie with his fist drawn back about to land a solid Superman punch.

The punch staggers Tonie a couple of feet backward. He regains his barring, but by the time his vision comes back into focus, Josh beats him to the punch literally by connecting with a left hook and an uppercut with his right hand.

"Man, you just won't go down, will you!" Josh proclaims, watching Tonie stagger back more.

"Guess it's time to go all out!" He charges again, but this time after a second Superman Punch, he transitions into a Judo leg sweep planting Tonie flat on his back, followed by a wrist lock.

"Ahhhhhhhh... Let me up, you little bastard! I'm going to kill you!" Tonie screams, spitting blood from his mouth.

"Let me up so I can kick your scrawny ass!"

Applying more pressure to the wristlock, Josh gets another idea of how to put Tonie on his ass for good. Quickly he releases the wrist lock with a lunge backward. With an eye on Tonie, Josh takes off into the air; this time, he sends his left foot into his opponent's gut while swiftly rotating his body connecting with a roundhouse kick to Tonie's sternum that sends him rolling and barely conscious.

"As I said, don't touch me!" Josh calls out in a martial arts stance, ready to keep fighting.

The crowd around him is in shock, seeing him go all out against Tonie. It's not until Kenny comes up to him breaking his concentration from the fight.

"Josh, dude, you need to get her out of here. We got this, and trust me when I say ain't no one calling the cops after seeing him hit her. We'll deal with him when he wakes up. Get going, dude! We got this for you. See you soon. My brother!"

Tonie lies there motionless and groans in pain face down on the blacktop. Nikki takes Josh by the hand, running for his car.

"We'll meet you back at the house!" James tells him, shutting the door leaning down to the window.

"Bust that turbo out and go dawg!"

Within seconds, Josh and Nikki speed away for the interstate to get from Charleston to Teays Valley, but the ride is anything but quiet along the way.

"Thank you, babycakes, for doing that."

"Oh, hell no, you don't get off the easy. Have you been drinking and getting high? What the hell is wrong with you? You left me because you accused me of drinking when I wasn't. I could've several times, but I haven't because I made you a promise. I intend to keep it for not only you but for myself. I will be better than my dead father. He was a lonely drunk, and I refuse to be like that." Josh lectures trying to contain his emotions from becoming too overzealous.

"Yes, I did drink with him a few times, and I've gotten high like a lot, but I do not deny that. I swear, though, I wasn't sleeping around with him on the way I feel about you. He's tried to get me in bed, but he's gotten shot down every time. I couldn't, and I am not attracted to him like that, I swear, baby!"

Josh takes his time to respond when he realizes he holds the best hand at that moment.

"Yeah, sure Nikki, you ain't slept with him. Everyone I talked to tonight has a different story. Hell, one person said you might be pregnant by him."

That's when Nikki loses her cool, punching him with all she has in the shoulder.

"If you believe that, then just pull over and let me out here! I'm still in love with you, damn it! I've cried so many times over what I did to you it isn't funny. I have our picture from winter formal on my dresser, and I look at it every morning."

The urge to lie and be cold-blooded finally happens. Josh isn't holding back the verbal punches this time.

"I burnt mine; hell, you weren't ever coming back. I never lied to you about the drinking, but you had to run anyway. I went on vacation with you and your parents. We made love on the beach, something that only happens in movies and novels. We did it, and that meant the world to me because I love you, and I still love you!"

Her hands shaking, Nikki puts a hand over her mouth when she listens to him. She's never seen him this angry.

"You didn't, and please tell me you're lying about that. I need you, Josh. That night was so magical for me. That's the night I knew for sure that I loved you." Her lip quivers with tears slowly sloping down her cheeks.

"Yeah! I did lie, I still have mine, but I wanted to make you feel like your world crashed. That's how I feel every single day since you drove away. I've not once said anything bad or even cussed at you, but damn Nikole, you are beyond stupid being put in a situation like the one you're in now. He could've raped you or worse. What were you thinking?" He goes on talking and fights the waterworks forming in his eyes.

Nikki sits there, letting it all sink into her mind and heart. Everything that's occurred since she ran out on him months ago finally bursts through the dam that's held her together.

"All I can say is I am sorry and hope you can forgive me. I love you with all my heart, babycakes. You'll never know what you mean to me. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me." She says, struggling to make it sound like she's pleading for forgiveness.

The back and forth heated conversation doesn't come to an end when they pull up in front of Nikki's home.

"I can forgive you, but I can't forget this night or that day. You ripped out my heart and took it with you. You still have it, but I don't want it back tainted like this. I wouldn't have ever done you as he did you, and you know that."

"Come inside please, we can talk in my room, and I wanna hold you so bad. Please, please say you'll come inside with me. Mom and dad would love to see you walk through the door."

Josh shakes his head no, keeping his eyes focused forward out the windshield.

"No..."

"Please, Josh!"

"I said no, this between us that is done. You and me, we're done." He says, trying to sound serious compared to sad.

"No! Please let me make this all up to you! I can promise no more getting high, no more drinking, no more nothing as long as you won't leave." She finally breaks down, pleading to get him to surrender to her needs.

"Get out, Nikole"

"Babycakes pl..." She's interrupted when he raises his voice.

"I said get out of my car!"

"I'm not leaving until you look at me."

To appease her request, Josh turns to her, and once he does, she throws herself at him with a kiss that lasts only seconds.

"Please get out before I have to get mean; I love you too much to be that way to you. Just go, please, Nikki, just get out of my fucking car and go home."

"I'm not leaving until..."

"GET OUT OF MY CAR NOW, DAMN IT!" He finally screams in her face forcing himself to become cold and bitter.

Once he settles back in his seat, there's an imaginary piece of glass placed between them, locking them in different worlds. All Nikki can do now is look through the imaginary glass at the man she wants but can't have.

"I love you, and you will always be my hero."

Before she crawls out of his car, he makes one final statement that completes and shatters her fragile heart.

"You know I once considered you my angel. You were the light that softened a hardened heart. Now, like the devil himself, you're nothing more than a fallen angel of light that has so much beauty, but you're poison. I love you too, and I always will, but you're not who you said you were. Goodbye, love."

Her mouth hangs open; Nikki closes the car door then watches as Josh drives away. Unlike the day she flew off the handle, her heart has been torn open and tattered. She drops to her knees, covering her face from the tears flowing like a broken faucet.

She's unsure of how to move on with her life, but after a few minutes, she finds a way to stumble into her room, lying face-first on her pillow with their picture clutched to her chest while she cries herself to sleep.